Committee Discusses DOE Science and Technology Priorities with the Secretary of Energy
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to examine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) science and technology priorities and discuss the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request for the Department of Energy’s research and development portfolio. Testifying before the Committee was the Honorable Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) stressed the importance of prioritizing our energy R&D investments. She said, “We have seen how government-supported research can pay off when it comes to energy development. DOE-supported research was key to the development of high-efficiency gas turbines for coal plants, nuclear reactors, and the directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies and techniques that have led to the shale gas boom of today. But we should remember that those achievements required decades of federal investment, the overwhelming majority of which was focused on fossil energy and the first generations of nuclear power reactors. I continue to support research to make today’s technologies safer, cleaner, and more efficient, but we also have to find the greatest value for our investment of taxpayer dollars. The reality today is that the emerging energy technology sectors that can most benefit from government support.”
Secretary Moniz said in his testimony, “We will continue implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, to reduce emissions at home and around the globe. We remain committed to our all-of-the-above energy strategy, to encourage innovation, create jobs, enable economic growth, and contribute to domestic manufacturing and net exports.” In response to a question from Ranking Member of the Energy Subcommittee Alan Grayson (D-FL), on prioritization of activities, he said, “We make no bones about it. We are clearly doing a prioritization within the all-of-the-above strategy for a low-carbon future.”
The discussion at the hearing was wide-ranging due to the nature of DOE’s R&D portfolio. Democratic Members of the Committee discussed advanced manufacturing programs, the fusion energy program, advanced nuclear reactors, energy storage, solar energy technology investments, hydrokinetic energy activities, technology transfer, and how the price of oil impacts DOE priorities, among other issues.
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